Increasing vandalism and theft of electricity has created a need for better locks for electric meter boxes. In the past it has been common to provide a lock assembly which comprises a housing attached to the box in such a manner that the box cover cannot be opened when the housing is in place. The housing is locked in place by a lock of the so-called "barrel-lock" type.
Such devices that are now in use have the disadvantage that they must be disassembled from the box when it is necessary for service personnel to open the box, and they must then replace after closing the box cover. Such a procedure is not only time consuming but also has the possibility that components of the assembly can be misplaced or dropped and lost.